My Idol's Partner
by Nightlingbolt
Summary: Sting really didn't want to join Fairy Tail, but it was that or spend the next few years in jail. Natsu's been assigned to watch over him, and... hey, flirting with his partner might be fun. Rated T for language and mild sexuality. StiCy


**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here, wondering why the hell the bold text is grayed out! Anyway, I got a new story cooking up, called "My Idol's Partner."**

**So someone said something about Minerva having an Azula-like breakdown once Sabertooth loses the Grand Magic Games. However, I'm taking this a step further: with Jiemma dead and Minerva driven to insanity, Sabertooth would probably disband due to lack of leadership, and... why am I explaining this here? It's already in the story!**

**So anyway, I plan on making this four chapters or so to start with, because I still have other projects to focus on, namely Figuring it Out and Natsu's Diary. I have a plan of sorts for ND, but FIORE, not so much. The farthest I got with the Sting version is Gray confronting Natsu about his night with Erza, but really, I got nothing after that, especially if Sabertooth does disband, which some may not find likely, but for this story, it'll work.**

**Anyway, I've rambled on enough as it is. I got a story to tell. Enjoy.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

Mirajane watched with delight as yet another Fairy Tail brawl got underway. Things had started off innocently enough as Fried accidentally hit Gray with a crumpled up piece of paper. But of course, the Ice mage just had to toss it at Natsu, and from there, all hell broke loose. Not like there was any way of restraining it to begin with anyway, but that was a whole other can of worms.

Aside from the usual bystanders – including, but not limited to, Laxus, Wendy, and Lucy – Mira noticed the two newest members staying clear of the conflict. Those members were Yukino Agria and Rogue Cheney, formerly of the now-defunct Sabertooth guild.

Sabertooth had fallen into shambles after their defeat in the Grand Magic games. Master Jiemma had been killed by Rogue's partner, Sting, in a crime of passion driven by the former killing the latter's Exceed partner, Lector. The next likely candidate to replace him was his daughter Minerva, who had suffered a complete mental breakdown after Sabertooth's loss, and the only other person who could possibly replace him was the very man who killed Jiemma, Sting Eucliffe himself, and he had been arrested after the Games. With no one to lead, Sabertooth had officially disbanded, with Rogue and Yukino joining Fairy Tail not long after.

"I still can't get used to the constant brawling in this guild," said Rogue to Mira. "These people are supposed to be comrades, yet why are they fighting amongst themselves?"

"That's just how Fairy Tail develops its bonds," said Mira. "Take Natsu and Gray, for example. They appear to hate each other, but every fight they get into only serves to affirm their trust in one another. That way, when they get in a real fight, they learn to act as one unit, because they understand one another perfectly." She sighed. "If only I could get Erza to see it that way..."

"I still don't think I fully understand," said Yukino.

"Well, it's not exactly something you can teach," said Mira. "Give it time. It'll become second nature to you soon."

Rogue looked at Mira with distaste. "I'll fight only if I feel the need. And right now I don't, thank you very much," he said. Suddenly, a beer bottle hit him in the head. He growled, but chose to ignore it, silently promising revenge on the guilty party later.

"My bad, Raios! That was meant for Salamander!" said the voice of Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer. Rogue cringed at his mentor's use of his real name.

"You wanna fight, Metalhead?! You got it!" declared Natsu Dragneel.

"Gihihi! This oughta be fun!" laughed Gajeel. Suddenly, a foot made contact with the back of his head. "Oi! Who's the retard kicking me?!" he yelled, turning his attention away from Natsu.

"Hey! I ain't done with you yet!" yelled Natsu. He dove after Gajeel, only to be grabbed from the crowd by Master Makarov's giant hand. The next thing he knew, the tiny Master was dragging him to his office.

"I hope Natsu-sama doesn't get punished too badly," said Yukino worriedly.

"Eh. He's gotten away with worse," said Mira with a smile. Though she couldn't help but wonder what Master wanted with Natsu in the first place.

* * *

"Have a seat, m'boy!" said Makarov upon letting Natsu go. Natsu brushed himself off, then sat down across from his master.

"Look, Gramps, if this is about me destroying that church in Oak Town, I swear that wasn't my fault! You see, the bandit I was chasing kept teleporting, and it was pissing me off and..."

"You destroyed a church in Oak Town?!" Makarov screamed.

"Um... no I didn't?" said Natsu futilely.

Makarov sighed. "Never mind, we'll discuss that later!" he said with frustration. "The reason I called you in here has nothing to do with that."

"You dragged me in here," pointed out Natsu.

"Not the point," said Makarov. "We'll be welcoming a new member soon. He's had some... trouble... with the Council, but I've managed to convince them that he is not a threat to the people.

"This person will be joining our guild as a mage. However, he will not be permitted to leave Magnolia unless accompanied by his handler or an S-Class mage. And Natsu, I've chosen you to act as his handler."

Natsu looked confused. "Handler?" he asked. "What does a handler even do?"

"Basically, your job is to keep your charge from doing anything that could be perceived as a threat to the safety of the general public. Civilians, other guild members, you get the idea."

"Okay," said Natsu. "But I still don't get it. Why me? I mean, I'm the last guy capable of babysitting anybody."

"Well, Natsu," said Makarov. "You have nearly all the qualities of an S-Class mage of our guild. You're exceptionally strong, you're smarter than you know, you can rally the guild members effortlessly, and you wear the mark of Fairy Tail with pride. There's just one crucial element missing from you."

"What? What is it? Whatever it is, I can learn it!" said Natsu excitedly.

"Good," said Makarov. "Because the quality you lack is a sense of responsibility."

"A sense of responsibility? What does that even mean?" asked Natsu. "I mean, I never denied causing any property damage!"

"Which makes my life as your master easier because of it," said Makarov. "But taking responsibility for your actions isn't the same as actually being responsible. What it means is, you're impulsive and reckless, qualities that would very well get you killed if I were to send you on an S-Class quest right here and now. That's why I'm appointing you our new member's handler. My hope is that by taking responsibility for a new member, you'll learn to appreciate your own actions a little more, and hopefully develop a sense of restraint. Because, and I can't overstate this, any trouble our new friend causes will be reflected upon you."

Natsu frowned. He obviously didn't like being held responsible for someone else's actions, nor would he expect anyone to take responsibility for his. Still, by accepting this sort-of mission, he could further his chances of becoming an S-Class mage, and in the end, that would make it worth the trouble.

"All right, Gramps. I'll do it," said Natsu. "Just one question: who is this new member?"

"Sting Eucliffe, formerly of Sabertooth," replied Makarov.

Natsu cringed. "That guy, huh?" he muttered.

"I understand you may not like him," said Makarov. "But think of this as the second coming of Gajeel. You didn't like him when he first joined, and he even hurt our comrades. However, like Gajeel before him, Sting deserves a second chance."

"Yes, Master," said Natsu with a sigh. "When does he get here?"

* * *

Sting Eucliffe, the White Dragon Slayer of the former Sabertooth guild looked at Fairy Tail's guild hall with disdain. This was the headquarters of the former and currently strongest guild? The place was falling apart! There was no way this tiny building could hold an entire guild.

He didn't even want to join this guild full of weaklings! Sure, there were a few strong members, Natsu sticking out the most in his mind, but he could take the rest of the Fairy trash singlehandedly. But Rogue had joined after Sabertooth's disbandment, and the only reason he wasn't spending the next few years in prison was because his friend had most likely convinced their master to petition the Council for his release, so he supposed he owed the Fairies a debt.

Thankfully, the Council had believed his murder of Master Jiemma was an impulsive act, motivated solely by his desire to avenge Lector. Now that he thought about it, the Council guard did mention a fair number of Sabertooth mages speaking out on his behalf, supplying several instances of Jiemma's cruelty. It had taken Lector's "death" to make him see Jiemma's way was wrong, but that didn't change the fact that he was almost killed because he wasn't strong enough in his master's eyes.

Minerva may have been a psychotic witch, but she was still true to her word, which meant that Lector was safe and sound, currently residing with Rogue and Frosch as he had asked upon his arrest. That, at least, Sting was looking forward to.

"Sting," Master Makarov said suddenly, snapping Sting back into awareness. "What are you waiting for, boy? Everyone's dying to meet you."

"Right," said Sting. He opened the guild doors... only to receive a beer bottle flying in his face. "Who threw that?!" he bellowed.

Apparently, Sting's presence was enough to send the brawling guild into silence. Nobody spoke. Everyone sent him a hateful glare. Maybe Sting couldn't defeat all these guys at once after all.

"I'm... sure it was an accident..." said Sting nervously, referring back to the beer bottle.

"Sting-kun!" a voice cheered from the crowd. Sure enough, Lector flew towards Sting, who accepted the Exceed with open arms.

"Hey, Lector!" said Sting happily. "I missed you, partner!"

"I missed you, too!" said Lector. "The Fairies are nice enough, but... they're not strong and cool like you!"

"I'd like to see a Fairy stronger than me," said Sting in his normal cocky demeanor.

"That can be arranged," said Laxus from the crowd, crackling with electricity.

"Eh... I just came in. I'm tired," said Sting. "You wouldn't get me at my best."

"Fair enough," said Laxus, his lightning dying out. "Just so you know, Natsu's never once defeated me one-on-one. Let that sink in for a moment."

"Laxus! Don't intimidate our newest member!" said Makarov harshly.

"Just laying down the law, Gramps," said Laxus. "He ain't in Sabertooth anymore."

"Anyway," said Makarov. "Sting will be joining us as a new member. I expect you'll all make him feel welcome despite his checkered past."

"No problem, Gramps!" said Natsu's voice. "Any guy that loves his cat can't be that bad!"

"That's the spirit, boy!" said Makarov with a smile. "Mira, come give Sting his guild mark!"

Suddenly, Mirajane was next to Sting with white ink and a Fairy Tail stamp. "Where would you like it?" she asked.

"Left shoulder," replied Sting.

Mira applied the stamp and gave a cheerful smile. "There!" she said brightly. "Now you're officially a member of our guild!"

"Fantastic," said Sting dryly.

"Now that that's cleared away," said Makarov seriously. "Let me remind you that you are not allowed outside of Magnolia without your handler – i.e., Natsu Dragneel – or an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail accompanying you, nor are you allowed to use magic within our borders unless I approve of it. Outside of Magnolia, you must remain in plain sight of your guardian at all times. Natsu is responsible for reporting any and all offenses. Three strikes, and you will serve your original three-year prison sentence. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master," said Sting bitterly. This sucked! Not only was Natsu effectively his babysitter, but he couldn't prove his strength to him! He'd almost prefer prison, but he wouldn't have any freedom in addition to no magic.

"Good," said Makarov. Smiling at Sting, he added, "But forget about that and have some fun, why don't you?" With that, he hopped off to the bar for a drink.

Sting made to look for Rogue, but was quickly confronted by Natsu. The Salamander looked him straight in the eye, almost daring him to confront him. However, he suddenly clasped his hand onto his shoulder and simply said, "Welcome to Fairy Tail." Turning his attention to a blond girl, he said, "Hey, Lucy, let's go on a mission!"

The girl, Lucy, who Sting remembered as the Fairy Minerva almost killed, the one he laughed at, got up from her seat. He supposed he should feel guilty for his cruelty now that they were "nakama," but really, it was her own fault for challenging Sabertooth.

"Fine, but I'm not letting you pick this time," she said. "I've had enough monster hunting for a while."

"Then how about we fight a dark guild?"

"That's even worse!" shouted Lucy.

"Come on, Lucy! Pleeease?" begged Natsu.

Lucy sighed. "All right," she said. "But Gray and Erza are coming. You're only one person, and I'm all but useless in battle."

"Aw, don't say that!" said Natsu. "You're strong, and you've only gotten stronger since Aquarius started training you!"

"Yeah, but I'm still limited to nearby bodies of water," said Lucy. "It's almost the same as not having Aquarius at all!"

"Whatever. Point is, you're strong. End of story," said Natsu. "Now let's find us a job, aye?" He ran off excitedly to the job board.

"Natsu! I thought I was picking this time!" Lucy protested. Noticing Sting was still there, she turned around and flashed him a smile. "You can come if you want, too, Sting," she offered.

"Thanks, but I'll pass this time, Blondie," said Sting. "I just got off a vehicle, I don't need to get on another one right away."

"Suit yourself," said Lucy. "And by the way, watch who you call Blondie, Blondie." With a mocking smile, she left to make sure Natsu didn't pick anything too difficult.

Sting smiled. He supposed he could learn to like this guild, if only for the sake of having something pretty to look at.

Now where the hell did Rogue get off to?

* * *

**And there we go! Huh, the text is back to black here. Wonder why that is?**

**Again, I'm trying to keep this story relatively partitioned. Four chapters is my goal, and we'll see if I update my other stories and go from there.**

**Fun fact, this was written before Chapter 318 and edited today (2/7/13), so I couldn't resist having Gajeel call Rogue Raios. So, as always, show support however you can, and peace and love from Nightlingbolt.**


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